The guy at the brew shop insisted that Star-San was better at sanatizing than bleach. I used to use bleach for everything, then I was told that bleach is no good. SInce using a cleanser and a one step sanatizer I've had infected beers. Am I using it wrong?

I have used both bleach and "one-step", I didnt like the fact of having to rinse everything when using bleach and also the effect that bleach has on steel (such as kegs), so I stayed with one-step. I have only ever infected one batch since doing so and I am pretty confident that happened because my primary fermenter wasn't clean.

I have used bleach as my sanitizer for glass materials from Day One and, as in previous postings, have had only one mishap due to an unclean fermenter. I have since gone to soaking my carboys in ammonia for several days between brewings and sanitizing with bleach on brew day for 30 minutes. My steel and rubber equipment is sanitized with One-Step or boiling, and I have always had good results. During brewing, I leave my equipment to soak in my One-Step solution until it is needed. If using bleach and/or ammonia for sanitizing/cleaning, be sure to rinse very well in between each application.

The homebrew shop guy once advised me to quick using bleach as it is an unstable product. As the bottle gets empty and the surface is exposed to air it's effectiveness is reduced. Also be careful to rinse comepletely as just a few ppm's will leave an off flavor in your beer. You probably already know not to mix chlorine and ammonia. The by-product is a deadly gas. Also I would like to say hello to everyone, I am new here and this looks like a great site!